DVD player with external connection for increased functionality

ABSTRACT

The present invention pertains to an optical disc player with a standard digital port, such as a USB port, coupled to an external storage, such as a thumb drive, coupled to a standard digital port such as a USB port. The external storage may also be used to provide content, commands or applications that enable the player to present certain additional content, or to perform certain additional or enhanced functions.

This application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No.14/748,695, filed May 15, 2007, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,594,484, the contentof which is incorporated herein by reference.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to a player of optical discs, and moreparticularly to a player for optical discs or other similar devicesproviding content to an end user and having an external port used forcontrolling and extending the memory and functions of the player basedon commands or other data from an external storage device coupled tosaid external port.

2. Description of Prior Art

Early optical disc players, used for example to play compact discs(CDs), essentially duplicated the functionalities of magnetic tape orrecord players. Since these latter devices were analog devices, theywere able to perform only limited—mostly linear—functions beyond merelyreproducing music or other sounds or video. The more recent optical discplayers, including standard DVD players and the newer high capacityplayers, such as Blu-ray and HD DVD (high definition DVD) players, canplay back both audio and video and can perform many additional controlof content functions, especially if they are connected to a network.Presently, content is made available to users through a variety ofmedia, such as read only memory (ROM) optical discs, having structureswhich do not allow the content to be changed or updated. This limitationprecludes users from easily availing themselves of updated content forplay back.

In addition, current disc players and other playback devices aregenerally software and firmware driven. The storage for such control isgenerally limited, which precludes complex manipulations such as thoserequired for complex interactive games.

In addition, the software and firmware often require updating to correcterroneous functions, to improve the operation of the devices, or to makethe devices compatible with new types of discs or disc formats. However,the usual mechanisms available until now for updating the software indisc playback devices have been labor intensive and have includedreturning the device itself to the retailer or service center to changethe firmware within the device; obtaining a disc that includes updatedfirmware; or downloading the update through an Internet connection (ifavailable). These mechanisms vary in easy of use and efficacy by userand form of update.

Finally, present devices for playing discs are capable of presenting thecontent from the discs on a screen but generally cannot be used forrapid response to user stimuli, for example to play sophisticated games.Nor can most present devices present 3-D images unless the originalcontent is encoded for this purpose.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Because of the ever changing nature of content, there is a present needfor means by which updated command or application information can beprovided (1) to control how a disc player presents or renders thecontent from a disc and (2) for additional content from externalsources.

The present invention overcomes the aforementioned limitations of playback of a ROM-device by affording users the ability to update or addcontent, applications, persistent memory, or storage, and to enhancepre-existing content or applications through the use of external datastorage (such as a Universal Serial Bus or USB-connected thumb drive).

In addition, by providing a mechanism for firmware or other applicationupdates or upgrades, users are saved the costs and bother of returningthe device, obtaining and running a disc for updates, or downloadingupdates via an online connection.

Applications for adding content to a ROM-based disc are envisioned. Forexample, a disc provided for entertainment could include a movie, butseveral different endings, outtakes, trailers or commentaries may begenerated and distributed separately to licensees after the originaldiscs are made. Alternatively, additional content that would otherwisenot fit on an optical disc can be provided by alternate means therebyeliminating the need for multiple discs.

In another example, discs are provided with some basic summary orintroductory content related to entertainment or education. Subsequentlyother means may be used to provide additional, comprehensive or updatedcontent to enhance what is on the original discs. As before, theadditional material may include additional commands, user interfacedata, or other content, e.g. high-bandwidth content.

Such updates may, at least in part, be determined at the user'sdiscretion. The user may also be able to search and download or streamfuture content based on areas of interest. For example, a disc may beinstructive of a particular country, but the user may have additionalinterest regarding a particular city. The additional material may beavailable through various content distribution schemes, e.g., outrightpurchases, licenses, or subscription services, that may be limited indifferent ways, such as temporally, territorially, etc. The need toprovide frequent updates and more current information for applicationsalso frequently arises with education-oriented content, where, forexample, topical materials might have a significant impact for helping astudent in a particular subject, such as history. The need to provideupdates and current information for applications also frequently arisesfor entertainment material, where, for example, topical content orapplications materials might have a significant impact for additionalentertainment value.

To summarize, an optical player is presented that has a standard digitalport for coupling to an external device that provides data to theplayer. The data may include content that augments or is combined withcontent from an optical disc, and/or control data, including dataupdating the software or firmware of the player. The external device maybe a data storage device, such as a thumb drive, containing codes toenable the player to perform or enhance various functions, content thatmay be mixed with content from a disc for presentation to the user, newcontent or some combination. Data from the external storage can beaccessed directly, or can be downloaded into the limited (low capacity)internal data storage means of the player. Once data are downloaded intothe player's persistent or internal storage, they may be used for theirintended purpose even after the external storage is removed and/or theoptical disc is removed, e.g., a different disc is inserted.Alternatively, or in addition, the external device may be a gatewaythrough which data is fed to the optical player.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an optical disc player with an externalport in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a system of two or more interconnectedoptical disc players and/or other devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring first to FIG. 1, an optical disc player or other similardevice 100 constructed in accordance with this invention includes a dataaccess manager 10, a fixed storage component 15, a read head 20, anavigation manager 40, a cache 42 and a presentation engine 44.

The data access manager 10 controls data communication with the outsideworld and is connected to a port 12 coupled to a network server 14. Theport 12 could be an Ethernet port, a wireless port, a connection to atelephone or cable modem, etc. Through the network server 14, the dataaccess manager 10 can access information from a public or privatenetwork (not shown).

The standard fixed data storage 15 can be a standard persistent datastorage component such as a solid state random access memory (RAM)including a hard drive. Storage 15 is used to store software and contentdata for the operation of the player 100. The data in storage 15 can bedeleted or altered by the user or by software components from theoptical disc 24.

Presently, the size or storage capability of data storage 15 is ratherlimited. Typically this storage has a capacity range of 128 Mb to 1 Gbwhich is not enough to provide sufficient persistent data or to containcommands or applications for many extended functions for the player 100.

The player 100 further includes a port 16 used for establishingcommunication with an external device 18. In the preferred embodiment ofthe invention, the device 18 is an external data storage device. Forexample, the device 18 may be a thumb drive with a male USB connector,in which case the port 16 is a female USB connector. Presently severalmanufacturers make thumb drives having up to 4 Gb of memory or more.Other types of removable devices may be used as well.

The read/write head 20 is associated with a tray or other similar means22 for accepting an optical disc 24. The optical disc 24 is used tostore information including both content and data associated with thecontent. The means 22 presents the disc 24 to the head 20 which thenreads the information from the disc 24 and presents it as data and/orcommands to the data access manager. Optionally, data may also bewritten or burned onto disc 24 by head 20 if the player 100 is aread/write device.

The data access manager 10 (and indeed most of the other components ofthe device 100) can be microprocessor controlled however it is shownhere with discrete components for the sake of clarity. The manager 10thus includes a network manager 30 that controls information exchangedwith the network server 14 through port 12, a storage manager 32 thatcontrols the information exchange with fixed storage 15 and the externaldevice 18 and a disc manager 34 that controls the data flow from theoptical disc 24.

The navigation manager 40 controls and manages the flow of informationbetween the various components of player 100, in accordance withcommands from the program in storage 15, disc 24, or external device 18.The manager 40 also resolves conflicts between the various components,including conflicts with commands from the disc 24 and external device18. The player 100 can be programmed so that commands from fixed storage15 can override and, if applicable, replace commands in the disc 24.

The data cache 42 is a fixed, non-removable component that can be usedto store data from storage 15, disc 24, or network server 14 for the useby the presentation engine 44 or the navigation manager 40. The datacache 42 may also be used as a data buffer.

The presentation engine 44 decodes and processes the graphics, text,fonts, audio, and video signals from disc 24 and data cache 42,potentially modified by instruction from navigation manager 40, and usesthese decoded signals to generate corresponding output signals on outputport 46. The port 46 may include several types of audio/video outputdevices using different plugs and protocols, such as HDMI, VDI,component, S-video, composite, RF, S/PDIF, etc.

In one embodiment, the external device 18 allows the player 100 toperform various functions that are either not available without thedevice 18, or that take less time and make better or more efficient useof the available resources. Data from external device 18 can be used tochange, update, or otherwise augment the functionality of player 100 inseveral ways, including the operation of the player 100 itself, the dataexchange with network server 14, the content downloaded from the disc24, and/or data presented by engine 44.

In particular, the external device 18 may be used as a means forcontrolling the playing of content. If the player is a recorder as well,data from the external device 18 may be used to control the recording.

In another embodiment of the invention, the player 100 may be modifiedso that at least some of the discs inserted into the player can beplayed only if the proper external device 18 is inserted in port 16.That is, when a disc 24 is inserted, the disc manager 34 retrieves datafrom the external storage device 18. The disc 24 is played only if thecorrect authorization code or playback license transaction support isincluded on the external device 18. For this situation, the device 18 issold to the end user at the same time as the disc, or is soldseparately. The data in the external storage is preferably encrypted anddigitally signed so that it cannot be easily duplicated and run withoutauthorization, and is then decrypted and authorized by the disc manager34.

As discussed above, a problem with existing DVD players is that theirsoftware or firmware is not easy to update without laborious effort. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, the external device 18contains updating data. The device 18 is coupled to the device 100, thedevice 100 checks the content of the external device 18 (eitherautomatically or in response to a user input) and if upgrade data isfound, this data is used to upgrade the software or firmware of device100.

In an alternate embodiment, the player 100 is a recorder/player that hasthe ability to burn a new disc and copy the content from an old disc orfrom other sources, including the external device 18 itself. In thissituation, the external device 18 has DRM-type information. Thisinformation is used to control the copying of the old disc. For example,when an end user requests that content be copied on a new disc, the discmanager 34 checks if such a copying is allowed by data in externaldevice 18. If copying is not expressly allowed, or if a proper externaldevice 18 is missing, then the copy function is disabled.

Another use of the external device 18 is to complement the operation ofthe fixed storage 15 and/or the cache 42. A typical player 100 isconstructed and arranged to present to a viewer a standard linearprogram from a disc, i.e., a DVD, in which scenes are played in apredetermined order and sequence. Of course, the user can stop thesequence of scenes, “rewind” to a previous location or scene in theprogram, skip “forward,” and generally perform the normal functionsassociated with viewing such linear programs. It should be noted that HDDVD and (Blu-ray) discs support scene bookmarks and some very limitednon-linear presentation of content. However, some programs are or maybecome available for discs that are not to be played linearly butrequire more complex data manipulation which cannot be performedefficiently (if at all) by the standard player. For example, complexinteractive games normally receive complicated commands from users and,in response, require complex data manipulations for presenting thegame's audio and visual components. In this situation the externaldevice 18 is used to provide increased data storage to facilitate theplaying of interactive games. The external device 18 may also be used toprovide software elements for the game that are not included on the disceither because of space limitations, or because the software elementshave not been made available until after the release of the disc.

In another embodiment, a disc is released with some basic audiovisualelements and the external device 18 is released separately. For example,the disc may contain a geography lesson with some economic informationmissing. The missing information may include the latest demographics onthe population, industrial production, economic data, political data,etc. The missing information is then released at a later date, or atregular intervals by the external device 18. The player 100 then playsthe program from the disc and fills in the missing information from theexternal device 18.

In the embodiments described above, the external device 18 is used toenhance the functionality of the play back of the player 100 itself. Inother embodiments described below, information in the external device 18is used by the presentation engine 44 in generating what or how contentis presented. In one embodiment, a portion of the content from theoptical disc 24 is replaced by new content from device 18. For example,the disc 24 may include content including the video component of aprogram and an audio component including dialog and subtitles in Englishand Spanish but not French. The device 18 may include dialog andsubtitles in French. The presentation engine 44 then uses theinformation from the device 18 to generate a program with French dialogand subtitles properly interspersed with the unchanged video portion ofthe system.

In another example, the content includes a program with severalsequential scenes. The external storage includes new content with atleast one new scene and commands or instructions identifying where inthe program the new scene is to be played, and whether the new scenefollows or replaces one or more scenes from the original content fromdisc 24.

In yet another example, the disc includes content with a simple stereoaudio channel. The device 18 contains a secondary audio channel forenhancements to the disc's audio channel together with switching ormixing applications. The secondary audio material can be used to replaceor mix with the original audio channel, or to complement the same.

In yet another example directed at the educational field, the content ondisc 24 includes a test with several questions. The device 18 includesanswers to the questions. The engine can then show each questionfollowed by the respective answer, all the answers can be presentedafter the questions, or the sequence of questions can be adjusted basedon the student's answers, thereby re-testing similar topics orincreasing the degree of difficulty of the questions.

Similarly, the disc includes content with a program having a videocomponent for displaying images on a standard two-dimensional display.The external device 18 can include content with information andapplication software that is combined with the disc's video component bythe player's presentation engine to generate three-dimensional orholographic images. The end user can then be given the choice ofwatching a program as a flat image or as a three-dimensional image.

Other embodiments of the invention pertain to the functions of theplayer 100 associated with the network server 14. In a simpleembodiment, the port 12 is normally disabled and the player 100 cannotcommunicate with network server 14. Insertion of device 18 into port 16enables the port 12 thereby allowing communication with the server 14.

In another embodiment, the device 18 contains a web address forinformation to be obtained by the player 100. In this case, once thedevice 18 is inserted, the player 100 obtains from device 18 the addressand then contacts the respective website to download or uploadinformation.

In yet another embodiment, shown in FIG. 2, two devices 200, 300 similarto player 100 shown in FIG. 1, are used interactively by two players toplay a game. The two devices are interconnected via an inter- orintra-net 250 and each has an external storage devices 218, 318respectively. The two external devices contain various informationnecessary for the two players to play, including, e.g., IDs, websiteinformation, etc.

In another embodiment of the invention, the external device 18 mayprovide other functions as well. For example, the device 18 may includea geographic locator such as a Global Positioning System, that receivessignals from external sources (e.g., satellites, cell towers, etc.) anduses these signals to identify its location, and therefore the locationof device 100. The combination of a geographic locator and a disc playercan be used for various types of presentations. For example, the player100 can be a portable player that is being carried around by a mobileuser. The player 100 could provide an interactive presentation relatedto specific geographic features, attractions, etc., found at or near thecurrent geographic location of player 100.

In another embodiment, device 18 includes an Internet gateway thatprovides the player with current content mixed with content from thedisc for presentation to the user. For example, the player 100 may beused for playing a game requiring realistic or even live content, suchas a simulated car race. As the player ‘drives’ a vehicle, live scenerymay be downloaded through device 18 and presented as the scenery.Alternatively, or in addition, real-time geographic information, such ascurrent maps or satellite pictures are downloaded to the player 100which then blends them with the virtual imagery of the game. Thisembodiment is particularly useful for players that either do not have aseparate access to the network server 14, or require specific connectionto the server (e.g., a wired connection) that may not be available orconvenient. In another embodiment, if the external storage is removed,the respective functionality of the player is disabled. In yet anotherembodiment, a different external storage is required for each differentoptical disc.

In a further embodiment, the code on a DVD (need not be an HD DVD orBlu-ray, but could be) and the code on another DVD are used so that whenthe discs are played in connected players (e.g., connected PCs with DVDplayback functionality) some features or functions are enabled by thediscs' code such that these features or functions are not supportedabsent either of the discs. Similarly, in a single PC player environmentor non-connected environment, the code on one disc could be copied intothe PC's persistent storage (i.e. Hard disc) and when this disc isejected and the next disc is played, features or functions that rely onthe first disc's code are enabled. Conversely, features or functionsthat would have been prohibited in playing back the second disc areenabled once the first disc's code is loaded. This has some particularlyinteresting implications for use of combination DVD/HD-DVD discs (orother combination discs) such that absent both sides/layers, thenecessary code to enable some features or functions will not beavailable, so pirate versions of just the HD DVD portion, e.g. will nothave the necessary code.

Thus, the functionality of the player is modified by (a) using aremovable storage device to supplement a disc player's persistentstorage; (b) by using a removable storage device inserted into a discplayer to introduce code without which some player functions can notwork; (c) with the code in the data storage, some player functions areenabled (and are disabled when the storage device is removed); (d) usinga removable storage device to introduce codes without which some discfunctions can not work; (e) conversely, with the code from a storagedevice, some functions are enabled (and disabled with the storage deviceis removed); (f) using a removable storage device inserted in a discplayer to introduce some codes without which some network-connectedtransactions can not work; (g) conversely, with the code from thestorage device, some functions are enabled but disabled if the storagedevice is removed; (h) using two external devices in two disc players toallow the two players to exchange data over a network.

While the invention has been described with reference to severalparticular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodimentsare merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Accordingly,the embodiments described in particular should be considered exemplary,not limiting, with respect to the following claims.

We claim:
 1. An optical disc player for reading an optical disc anddisplaying content comprising: an optical head; a presentation enginearranged to present program signals including audio and video componentsto an output port; a global positioning component providing positioninformation indicative of the local geographic location of the opticaldisc player; and a controller arranged to receive data from a discthrough said optical head, and position information from said globalpositioning component and to transmit disc content from said disc, saiddisc content being specific to the local geographic location of theoptical disc player to said presentation engine.
 2. The optical discplayer of claim 1 further comprising an external port and an externaldevice selectively and removably coupled to said external port, saidglobal positioning component being disposed in said external device. 3.The optical disc player of claim 1 wherein said program signalsrepresent an interactive game.